Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Video | Business Headlines | Internet | Science | Scientific Ethics | Technology | Search

 

Scientists occupy Wall Street Journal

Scientists occupy Wall Street Journal

A group of expert climate researchers has rounded robustly on 16 scientists who complained in the Wall Street Journal (No Need to Panic About Global Warming) that presidential candidates should understand that the statement that "nearly all scientists demand that something dramatic be done to stop global warming" is not true.

The initial complaint used Auckland academic Dr Chris de Freitas, the editor of the journal Climate Research - and a vocal critic of some aspects of climate change science - as a poster boy for its argument that "many young scientists furtively say that while they also have serious doubts about the global-warming message, they are afraid to speak up for fear of not being promoted-or worse".

It said that when Dr de Freitas published a peer-reviewed article in 2003 "with the politically incorrect (but factually correct) conclusion that the recent warming is not unusual in the context of climate changes over the past thousand years" members of a "warming establishment" mounted a determined - though unsuccessful - campaign to have him removed from his editorial job and fired from his university position. The op-ed page piece also re-visited "Climategate" allegations against another New Zealander, Dr Kevin Trenberth, a senior scientist at the climate analysis section of the US National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

But a sharply-worded response has now been published in the WSJ - signed by Dr Trenberth and over 30 other scientists from Australia, Canada, Britain, France and the USA - and referred to the group of 16 as the "climate-science equivalent of dentists practicing cardiology".

"Most of these authors have no expertise in climate science," it said. "The few authors who have such expertise are known to have extreme views that are out of step with nearly every other climate expert". Observations showed unequivocally that the planet was getting hotter, and computer models had shown that during periods when there was a smaller increase of surface temperatures, "warming is occurring elsewhere in the climate system, typically in the deep ocean". It pointed out that a quote attributed to Dr Trenberth was used out-of-context and misrepresented .

The row has been picked up on science news websites, including the SMC, and Discovery.com, where the headline read: Climate Scientists Occupy Wall Street Journal, and in mainstream media such as London's Guardian and the New York Times.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

 
 
 
Business Headlines | Sci-Tech Headlines

 
GenPro: General Practices Begin Issuing Clause 14 Notices

GenPro has been copied into a rising number of Clause 14 notices issued since the NZNO lodged its Primary Practice Pay Equity Claim against General Practice employers in December 2023.More

SPADA: Screen Industry Unites For Streaming Platform Regulation & Intellectual Property Protections

In an unprecedented international collaboration, representatives of screen producing organisations from around the world have released a joint statement.More

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.